Philorhizus marggii Wrase et Assmann, 2008

Wrase, David W. & Assmann, Thorsten, 2008, A new species of Philorhizus Hope, 1838 from Greece (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini), ZooKeys 3 (3), pp. 1-10 : 3-6

Philorhizus marggii Wrase et Assmann , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C9BA8153-E92C-4256-9D45-F5168DE60F78

Type material Holotype male: „ S-Greece: Peloponnese / Taygetos: Profitis Illias subalpine, 16.V.2007, N 36°58’ E 022°21’, 2000-2400m asl, 226, leg. Th. Assmann “ ( cWR, later in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München) . Paratypes: 2 males, same as holotype ( cASSM, cST). 1 female: „ GR Pelop. /Taygetos Profitis Illias , 1200m, 23.IV.1997, W. Marggi & Ch. Huber leg.“ ( cMA) .

Diagnosis A micropterous species of average size for Philorhizus , with wide infuscated head, narrow pronotum, long-oval elytra yellowish with a wide dark transverse fascia at apical half and completely rounded humeri. Habitus, see Fig. 1 .

Description Body length 3.3-3.7 mm; width 1.38-1.56 mm (holotype 3.6 mm and 1.48 mm, respectively).

Colour: Head (with exception of lighter clypeus) dark or light reddish piceous, mandibles, mouthparts, pronotum and appendages yellowish. Elytral basal half, apical margins and a large semicircular or almost square area around sutural angle testaceous, the remainder infuscated, forming a reddish piceous, wide, transverse, somewhat jagged fascia. The dark area bordering the suture extends slightly towards base of elytra.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) large, almost as wide as pronotum (ratio PW/HW in males: 1.03- 1.06, Ø 1.05, holotype 1.05; in female: 1.06). Eyes fairly large and flat, eye diameter about 2.3 to 3.0 times as long as rectilinearly narrowed tempora (seen in dorsal view). Antennae of medium length, slender, antennomeres 4-11 with dense and fairly fine setae except obligatory long apical setae (about as half as long as the latter).

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) almost square (ratio PW/PL in males: 1.21-1.27, Ø 1.23, holotype 1.27; in female: 1.36), widest at about end of anterior fourth (at insertion of lateral seta). Anterior margin moderately emarginate, anterior angles rounded, projecting slightly forward, from there slightly curved laterally till insertion of lateral seta (here somewhat angulate), from there basad almost rectangularly narrowed and weakly sinuate before posterior angles which are obtuse and angled strongly forward (at about length of antennomere 2), at insertion of seta weakly angulate. Base medially slightly emarginate, laterally to insertion of seta strongly curved (ratio PW/ PBaW in males: 1.21-1.27, Ø 1.24, holotype 1.27, in female: 1.25). Lateral furrows at anterior angles narrow, becoming explanate toward base and continuing into large basal impression. Medial longitudinal impression deep, terminated at anterior and posterior transverse impression. Anterior transverse impression distinct, posterior transverse impression shallow and connecting both basal impressions.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) long-oval (ratio EL/EW in males: 1.38-1.41, holotype 1.38; in female: 1.36; ratio EW/PW in males: 1.94-2.03, Ø 1.97, holotype 1.94; in female: 2.05) with completely rounded humeri, widest approximately at beginning of posterior fifth. Striae only suggested, becoming evanescent laterally. Hindwings reduced to small relicts.

Microsculpture mesh pattern on head in males consisting of weakly engraved isodiametric meshes on disc (somewhat more marked in the female), hence surface fairly shiny, on pronotum transverse and on elytra almost isodiametric in both sexes, moderately impressed, surface somewhat shiny.

Median lobe and internal sac structure ( Fig. 2 ): Relatively stout, with apical lamella small, evenly narrowed and apically rounded. Internal sac (in inverted condition) with a long winding, wide band of scales and thorns, which appears in lateral view in the middle part of the median lobe, reaching the apical part, and a short band of thorns, situated ventrally before the apical part.

Comparisons In habitus and other characteristics (shiny head with weakly developed microreticulation, slender antennae, head wide with almost rectilinearly narrowed long tempora, pronotum very narrow, with posterior angles obtuse and angled strongly forward, micropterous, elytra with completely rounded humeri) similar to Ph. alpinus ( Meschnigg, 1934) , described from the Aroania Mountains ( Greece). The new species can be distinguished from Ph. alpinus by its piceous head, by the elytra with a distinct, wide, dark transverse fascia at apical half which extends forward along the suture, omitting a large, testaceous semicircular or square area around the sutural angle, and by somewhat shorter tempora (while Ph. alpinus is unicolorous, tempora almost as long as eye diameter). A comparison of the male genitalia cannot be given here, as the only specimen of Ph. alpinus we were able to study was a female (see Wrase 2005).

The new species can be differentiated from the other species occurring in the Balkan Peninsula [ Ph. crucifer crucifer ( Lucas, 1846) , Ph. lompei Wrase, 2005 , Ph. melanocephalus ( Dejean, 1825) , Ph. notatus ( Stephens, 1827) , Ph. quadrisignatus ( Dejean, 1825) and Ph. sigma sigma (P. Rossi, 1790) ], and also from Ph. dacicus Sciaky, 1991 ( Romania, Ukraine) by its characteristic colouration (see figures in Sciaky, 1991, and Wrase, 2005), the almost rectilinearly narrowed long tempora, the characteristic form of the pronotum with its obtuse posterior angles angled strongly forward (at about the length of antennomere 2), and therefore its base laterally strongly rounded toward the posterior angles, and by the different construction of its median lobe and the striking structure of its internal sac (compare figures in Sciaky, 1991, and Wrase, 2005). For better distinction we present an identification key (see below).

Etymology It gives us great pleasure to be able to dedicate this new species to our colleague and friend Dr. Werner A. Marggi (Thun), well-known specialist in Carabidae , who collected (together with Dr. Charles Huber, Bern) the first known specimen of the new species.

Distribution Up to now only known from the type locality in the Taygetos Massif and most likely an endemic species.

Habitat The specimens from 2007 were collected from low down on stones in subalpine meadows at altitudes of 2000 to 2400 m ( Fig. 3 ). The stones were well embedded in the ground and surrounded by grass, which was taller than in the meadow grazed by goats and sheep. Beetles’ activity on the plants is therefore likely to be typical for many other lebiine carabids (cf. Stork 1980). The specimen from 1997 was collected in the montane zone close to a small pond. These records indicate that the species probably occurs in the middle and higher altitudes of Mount Taygetos.

Figures

Fig. 1. Philorhizus marggii n. sp., habitus, holotype.

Fig. 2. Philorhizus marggii n. sp. male genitalia, median lobe, lateral view, holotype. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

Fig. 3. Habitat of Philorhizus marggii n. sp.